Shepherds Hill Reserve

Shepherds Hill Reserve

Shepherds Hill Recreation Park holds some surprises for first time visitors, thanks mainly to its unpretentious suburban main entrance. A bike jumps track, a pony club, an archery range and a 360 degree view of the Adelaide plains, coastline and nearby hills are just some of the unexpected attractions. Then there are the old railway tunnel, the remains of a viaduct, and two winding creeks to explore.

Location

Ayliffes Road

Pasadena

Facilities

Park

Features

Archery,

Bike trails,

Dogs on-leash exercise ,

Historic sites,

Horse Riding,

Walking trails

Shepherds Hill Recreation Park holds some surprises for first time visitors, thanks mainly to its unpretentious suburban main entrance. A bike jumps track, a pony club, an archery range and a 360 degree view of the Adelaide plains, coastline and nearby hills are just some of the unexpected attractions. Then there are the old railway tunnel, the remains of a viaduct, and two winding creeks to explore.

The park is in Adelaide's southern suburbs only 11 kilometres from the City centre. The main entrance and car park is off Ayliffes Road, St Marys, but the park can also be accessed from Ellis Avenue, Eden Hills. There is no vehicle access for the public and the park may be closed on total fire ban days. Admission is free.

Although past land use practices such as grazing and cropping have impacted upon the once diverse wildlife of the area, the 78 hectares protected by the park supports a variety of habitats. Vegetation includes open Grey Box woodlands with an understorey of Kangaroo Thorn, Golden Wattle, native hopbush and wallaby grass on the hillsides. Old River Red Gums and South Australian blue gums line the park's two creeks. Wattles, teatrees, sedges and rushes also line the banks, providing important habitat for birdlife. Black-faced Cuckoo-shrikes, blue wrens, Striated Pardalotes and the occasional falcon can be seen. A number of native animals also inhabit the park, including possums, Eastern Brown Snakes, and several species of skinks and shingleback lizards. Koalas are occasionally seen feeding in either Grey Box or River Red Gums.

Before European settlement the Shepherds Hill area was inhabited by the Kaurna Aboriginal people. Although little information has been documented about their occupation, important Aboriginal sites, such as 'scarred trees' have been recorded. As the name suggests, Shepherds Hill has had a long history of sheep grazing, although the park was actually named after William John Shephard who owned a section of local land from 1853 to 1864. During early settlement of the area many trees were felled for fencing and building materials. Some prospecting also took place during the gold rush era of the 1860s.